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Boston Latin School opens
First Latin Grammar school is opened to help provide leadership positions in the church, state, or the courts. Link Text -
Harvard College
Harvard College is the first school of higher education established in the United States. It still is an accomplished university to this day and helped pave the way for higher education.
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Old Deluder Satan Act
This act required that towns containing 50 families hire a school master to teach the children. Towns with 100 Families should hire a Latin Grammar School Master to prepare them for Harvard. The Old Deluder Satan Act laid the ground work for the American Education system. Link Text -
Ursuline Academy of New Orleans
Founded by the Sisters of the Order of Saint Ursula, oldest running school for girls, as well as the oldest Catholic School in America. It still is operating to this day. Link Text -
American Philosophical Society
Benjamin Franklin established the American Philosophical society, which brought secular ideas to the colonies from the European Enlightenment, clashing with religion.This greatly impacted how children were taught and how the colonies thought as a whole. Link Text -
English Academy
Also founded by Benjamin Franklin, this academy brought other subjects, such as history and geometry, into the school system. It ultimately became the University of Pennsylvania. Link Text -
Bill of Rights
While never directly mentioning education,the tenth amendment stated all powers not given to the federal government are given to the state, which included education. This greatly changed how the education system and schools worked. Rather than having one standard for the entire nation the states had more liberty to adapt those standards for their schools. Link Text -
First Public School
Boston English High School was established, making it the first public school in America. Now students had a place to learn and it wasn't an exclusive academy. Link Text -
"Normal Schools"
In Lexington, Massachusetts, the first state funded school for teacher education was founded. Link Text -
First Mandatory Attendance Law
The Compulsory Attendance Act of 1852 requires mandatory school attendance for children between eight and fourteen three months a year. The penalty for not attending is $20 and prosecution by the city. Link Text -
Groundwork for Standardized Tests
When America entered WW1, the army could not test the intellectual ability of their recruits. Robert Yerkes created a committee to establish a group intelligence test, called the Army Alpha and Beta tests, laying the groundwork for standardized tests in public schools. Link Text -
Monkey Trial
John Scopes goes on trial for teaching evolution in his high school biology class, which ends with him getting convicted. The evolution versus creationism arguement is still an issue in today's public schools. Link Text -
Brown v. Board of Education
This decision by the U.S. Supreme Court states that separate education facilities are inherently unequal. Meaning people of color cannot be separated from others solely based on race. Though physical aspects of their education may have seemed equal, the quality of education was no where near on the same level of all white schools. Link Text -
No Child Left Behind
This controversial law was signed into law by president George W. Bush. It mandated high-stakes student testing and made schools responsible for student achievement levels. If the school did not meet these standards they were penalized for not making adequate yearly progress. Link Text -
American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009
This act provided 90 billion dollars to education. Half of that money went to local schools to help prevent layoffs and provide repair. This act also included the Race to The Top initiative which provided not more standards but Higher standards for what teachers should be teaching and what the children should be learning.Link Text -
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
Voted on by the U.S. senate and signed into law by President Barrack Obama. This act Replaced No Child Left Behind, and allowed more state control in Judging school performance.Link Text
